One of the questions heard from time to time as MMM gets around various groups is “what kind of applications make sense for minsitry/religions?” Applications and services which share one’s faith, engage the reading of texts/codexes, and maybe the entertainment section where there are variations on the previously mentioned types are the norm. But, I think its not that difficult to see where the opportunity lies for other types of applications and services. You just need to look at what else religion does that makes sense in the context of an app or service.

For example, while reading some news from TechCrunch, I noticed that they highlighted an applcation called Wedding Party. Wedding Party is an online service tied to an application that attendees to a wedding can all use to take pictures, and then upload them to a single online album. Given that many weddings happen at a church, or are at least facilitated by one, this would seem to have been an easy grab for some of the larger churches that have those really beautiful sanctuaries, and are frequently asked “do you know anyone who can take photos/video of our special day?”

Tomi Ahonen talked some weeks ago about the mBillionth awards and highlighted several applications that not just make sense for those who developed and voted for them there, but also for churches who might be looking for innovative ways to leave an imprint on their missional efforts that works a bit different than the norm. One of the apps Ahonen highlighted was an SMS dictionary… that’s something that should so easily be purposed for teaching languages and reading in oral-centric cultures. Don’t leave the oral tradition, just accent it with the tech in one’s hand and teach generations to be bi-modal in a different sense.

A few weeks ago, I was in an area of Virgina with a auto that had some mechanical issues. As I waited for the diagnosis of things in the car dealership, I started to wonder a bit about the town that I was in. So I did what I normally do, go get something to eat and ask the locals (if they are friendly). Now, the locals were able to tell me a little, but not really much in terms about what they liked or was something to visit while (unintentionally) in town. What would have been really good is if the deonminations that were present in that town had something of an AR (augmented reality) or web pointer on their signs that would provoke me to pull out my mobile and start to investigate the ways that faith has been exercised in that town. Just something as simple as pointing me to a website, or having a website on the sign with the church name would have been helpful, and at least gave me something of a scavenger hunt towards engaging the city. I’m sure business leaders in small towns would love an idea like that, especially if it could be easily monetized and tracked with something like Layar Creator Pro.

All I’m saying is that you don’t need to stop your mobile thinking at the apps and services that are logical. There’s plenty of room out there to do more. Its not really that hard even. Just think about what happens in and around your church, and if having an app or service along with it would make sense, how about making some plans to do something just a little bit different than the norm?

I know that the content lately has been leaning heavily on ICCM, as we were recently there. But, what can I say, ICCM seems to have caught the attention of several people from various perspectives of life, faith, and tech.

BBC Outriders Interview

One of those who connected with us because of this was Jamillah Knowles who is the UK editor for The Next Web, but also still contributes to the BBC Outriders podcast that takes a look at the long-tail of the things happening with web and tech. Jamillah asked if I could answer a few questions about the recent ICCM event, as well as get caught up a bit towards what’s happening in faith and technology since the last time MMM appeared on Outriders. Here’s a snippet of what was talked about:

Over the weekend there was a big conference in the US for those who work with technology for the Christian faith. The International Conference on Computing and Mission or ICCM is a way for people to get together and talk about advances and uses for their technical work. And to geek out a little bit. Our friend Antoine Wright was there, he runs the website Mobile Ministry Magazine. We had a chat about technology, religion and the cool things he saw at ICCM.

Check out the entire podcast (BBC Outriders | MMM) and check out the other subjects Outriders covers in other podcast episodes. MMM’s segment appears beginning at the 13:45 mark.

Quoted in Charlotte Viewpoint

In addition, MMM’s founder (Antoine RJ Wright) was quoted in an article at Charlotte Viewpoint which talked about this past Spring’s Ignite Charlotte talks. I was a presenter at the TED-like event and talked on the notion of using one’s digital devices for more than just the passive activity of reading and consuming.

Wright, who enjoys capturing life’s moments by drawing them on his iPad, talked about using technology as more than just a social networking tool. More specifically, he suggested using computers or internet applications like Instagram as a “catalyst to see our world differently.”

“If we can use the technology to see those things we may become a better participant in the world around us…It’s easy to see the black and white, right and wrong, death, life, somebody [is] born and somebody died. It’s really easy to see those black and white events. It’s another thing when you filter it through color,” Wright said.

Read the rest of Ignite Charlotte Inspires Individuals, Communities at Charlotte Viewpoint

Interview Requests

Are you interested in interviewing MMM for your program about faith and technology, or other matters that are appropriate for your audiences? Get in contact with us and we can make that happen.

Entering the 8th month of 2012 already? Yikes, it really felt like March just a minute ago.

Well, with the end of the month, its time again to take a look at the resolutions that we’d put forth and see about how things are progressing. Here are the items we posted:

1. An App is Not A Strategy
2. Specifically Define Mobile in Education
3. Get Connected to Tech, Mobile, and Mobile Ministry Events
4. All Books Project and Mobile UX Standards and Raising the Bar on Mobile UX Standards
5. Become a Digital Faith Advocate

Given the activities and actions of the past month, I can truly say that MMM has been called out on all these specifically. We’re making progress. How are you doing on your resolutions in faith and tech? Anything you’ve had to reset or restart giving how far into the year we are? Or, has the summer/winter months thrown you off a bit and you might be looking for something else to reignite your efforts?

This month, I participated in the International Conference of Computing and Missions (ICCM) USA Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. This was a nearly-week-long conference where those persons involved in IT strategy and support for various missions and BAM groups came together for a time of rest, fellowship, and restarting. The theme of this year’s conference was Spiritual Reboot – ironically, this was something that I recommended last year. And indeed, for many of us, the 4 days or so in CO definitely served to rest and reset life in work, family, and ministry.

At ICCM, I presented a few times, and engaged within several conversations about mobile technology and its use within faith-spaces. Some of the most interesting conversations I’m keeping to an offline state, but let’s just say that its pretty neat what some folks are asking of the tech and channel that is called mobile.

My primary presentation was about comparing the current leading smartphone platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows Phone), with a bit about HTML5 thrown in there. This presentation is up over at MMM if you want to take a read, comment, or recommend corrections/additions. And to quote something that I mentioned to a few folks at ICCM, I’m not in favor of any current smartphone platforms. I’ll continue to take a balanced look at them all, but aside from my iPad, none of them fit me well enough to get a ringing endorsement *all* of the time.

The second presentation was something a bit random (why I didn’t prepare this before I don’t know) but apparently also had a neat listening audience there. This was about the Mobile Ministry Methodology that I developed and released in the Spring. I talked through each of the phases of the methodology and where it can lead to consistent, reproducible, effective, and traceable projects in tech and ministry. I’m still hearing that there is nothing like this within the digital faith space. So perhaps this project methodology can be something that other types of digital faith efforts can adapt, tweak, and move with.

Both of those were done on the same day… whew.

That same day, along with a few other days, I participated in what was called Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions. These were more fluid group discussions, proposed and voted on by all attendees, and then someone elects to – or falls into – be the facilitator of the discussion. I was involved in a few of these. The first of which being a session on Mobile Apps for Ministry. I managed to take some (shareable) notes of that one. Other BOFs I participated in included Mobile Options for International Travelers, Alternatives to Skype, and several informal lunch/dinner-time talks.

Speaking of drawings, I did do a sketchnote for ICCM, however, I unintentionally included some information on the sketchnote that shouldn’t be public. That’s going to have to be one that sits in my private library until I manage to edit things or, or just do another w/o that information. There were pieces of the sketchnote posted to Twitter (see under my handle @mobileminmag or the hashtag #ICCM). That’s about all that will be public towards that end of things (sorry).

Tweeted Sketchnotes:

• Mobile Apps BOF
• Spiritual Reboot Keynote
• Intro Sketches

The conference was themed “spiritual reboot” and I can definitely say that it merited that for me. Besides just being tired, before getting to the conference, I had a situation which really could have been a lot worse that what it was. Thankfully, having the presence of mind to pray often and ask for help got me through – but it was mentally and spiritually draining for both me and my lady. Things are going to get better (that particular situation isn’t over), but I feel a lot better about leading life with faith instead of fear.

As for expectations, I’m hoping that ICCM leads to several new trips and opportunities. Its already sparked a discussion about availability in a few areas of the USA for projects, an another media interview with an old friend from the UK (will post on that when it goes live), and a spark to get my hands on the Nokia N9 for personal and project reasons. Not sure what else can happen, but having seen some mountains that aren’t green (difference between Rockies and Appalachian ranges green and height), I’m just looking forward to whatever is next.

Not done traveling either. Looks like I’ve got a pretty major one coming soon. I just got to get my paperwork done. ICCM has a Europe and Australia/Asia meeting. Would be worth going to those if you are interested in this space… I know I’m pretty invested in my interest in it.

Press Release: Mobilize Your Children’s Check In Routine Using iPad®, Tablets, and Smartphones with Roll Call Mobile CheckIn

BYRON, IL., July 26, 2012– Keeping children secure through the use of a computerized children’s check in system is a prerequisite for nearly all children’s ministries. By the Book has taken children’s check in a step further to provide churches with ultimate flexibility by offering Roll Call Mobile Check In, which allows churches to use iPads, tablets, and smartphones for kid’s check in procedures.

“We feel the mobile check in option will give the church the ultimate in flexibility in how they do children’s check in,” says Kim Conley, co-owner of By the Book, software for churches and nonprofits. “Roll Call Mobile CheckIn allows the church to deploy volunteers throughout their facility to check families into classes or even worship services.”

Imagine a church that offers a bus ministry: Armed with an iPad that has 3G capability, the volunteer could check in kids as soon as they arrive on the bus and have name tags printed and waiting for them upon arrival at church.

The Roll Call dashboard will give ministry workers real time headcounts so the children’s ministry leader will know right away if any classes are getting too full or if they need to enlist more volunteers.

“They’ll also be able to check in visitors right from the mobile device and even walk them to the appropriate classroom if they’d like,” adds Conley.

“This children’s check in system has been the easiest out of any I have used. I love the ability to grow with more computers, tablets, or key cards as our ministry expands,” comments Angela C. from Summit Ridge Church.

Children’s Check In/Out Process

The child check in system in Roll Call allows users to check students into their classes, record attendance, and print nametags and security labels. With Mobile CheckIn, volunteers can check students in using a mobile device by looking up last name or last four digits of their phone number, then print labels at a centralized print station. To check students out simply compare the security code on the child’s name tag with the security code on the parent tag.

Technology Specifications

In order to run Roll Call Mobile CheckIn, churches will need to have Roll Call church management software installed on at least one computer. This computer must be running Windows Pentium 4 (minimum) or Mac (Intel) OSX 5.8 or greater. More details on technical specifications can be found here.

Churches will also need a mobile device such as an iPad, tablet, or smartphone that can connect wirelessly to their local network. If using the mobile device outside of local network, that device must be able to access the internet through a 3G or 4G network. If churches will be checking students in from outside the church’s local area network, they will need a fixed IP address for the Roll Call Server machine.

About By the Book

Founded in 2002, By the Book (http://www.bythebook.com) offers robust desktop and internet accessible church and nonprofit management software. Roll Call Church Management Software meets the needs of churches from small to large through membership management, attendance monitoring, visitor follow up, contribution tracking, and background check management. Roll Call Child CheckIn and Mobile CheckIn add on solutions offer churches peace of mind by securing children through PCs or mobile devices. Honor Roll Fundraising Software offers nonprofits complete donor management tools, pledge tracking, and contact management. Free trials are available of all of By the Book’s software offerings. Email, call, or sign up today: info@bythebook.com or 1-800-554-9116.

Press release submitted by Church Tech Today

Was reading a few items at the end of a day during the ICCM conference and came across his article at the Harvard Business Review:

…To avoid “blood­shed” in mobile, learn from past lessons in Web, dig­i­tal and social. Improve your under­stand­ing of the nuances of mobil­i­ty and mobile behav­iors before you ramp up your invest­ment in mobile. Resist the temp­ta­tion to rely too much on a guru; hir­ing a guru will only take your orga­ni­za­tion so far. Many of the orga­ni­za­tions who brought in “social media gurus” learned this les­son the hard way. A sin­gle indi­vid­ual can­not scale. How­ev­er, if the orga­ni­za­tion is will­ing to put real teeth behind their mobile efforts, a sin­gle smart per­son can help form a cen­ter of excel­lence. Estab­lish­ing a cen­ter of excel­lence that puts mobil­i­ty at the core, and inte­grates it with other busi­ness ini­tia­tives, can get a busi­ness think­ing about mobile more strate­gi­cal­ly…

Read the rest of The Future Isn’t About Mobile; It’s About Mobility at the Harvard Business Review

The article goes into something we have said for a long time, it’s not so much that you need to know mobile, you need to know and maneuver the tech and channel of mobile around the behaviors that make sense with it. Meaning, know what mobility means and then when you go mobile that you use the right skills and methods.

Funny too, because I talked with a few folks this week about how to best create more people like myself. I am not enough to help understand mobile, but we all doing offer parts makes mobility of this faith the return to the way it was done when God walked with us.

Continuing with some of the sessions done at the ICCM Conference, I was a facilitator for the BOF (birds of a feather) session talking about mobile apps for missions. This was essentially a conversation about what’s out there, what’s missing, what’s needed, and then any tangents those questions cause. Here is the Sketchnote I took during that time:

The app idea towards the end (an app/service to better do contact management and donation management for individual missionaries) was pretty neat. I think that is something which might really have a chance of happening, if some of the political ends of it can be answered.

That was the 3rd session that I led in some fashion for the day. I was totally wiped out when that day was done, and yet, I think that kind of intensity of participation was needed from me.

The second presentation given at the 2012 ICCM Conference was about the Mobile Ministry Methodology:

The Mobile Ministry Methodology is a framework designed to assist individuals, ministries, and organizations determine the value, prospects, process, and successes of mobile ministry projects. Derived from SDLC methodologies, this framework is designed to keep the a singular goal in perspective despite tendencies for scope creep.

Read the complete Mobile Ministry Methodology, or view the process map in the following image/connected data formats:

• Google Docs
• PDF
• PNG
• JPEG
• SVG

If you have already started working with the Mobile Ministry Methodology, get in touch with us towards any successes, challenges, or successes with your projects. If you are looking to utilize this in order to get your mobile projects off the ground in a traceable manner, also get in touch with us as we do offer consulting based on this practice.

As a matter of course, this was an unplanned presentation. And wasn’t the last time we got in front of folks for the day. Spiritual Reboot is the manner of happenings here.

Am currently attending ICCM USA 2012. This is basically a tech retreat/conference for those who have a passion for or work in tech and missions. Though, there’s actually a nice contingent of non-mission and BAM (business as mission)-like folks here too.

MMM is up to present at few times at this conference. Our first topic, which should be in progress right as this is going up, is a talk detailing the Android, iOS, and Windows Phone smartphone platforms – with some comparision to HTML5 approaches for apps/services too.

Presentation Link

If I do good, I’ll also get to finish the drawing that I did that was to accompany this deck.

There’s also one or two more presentations happening. Stay tuned to Twitter (either @mobileminmag or #ICCM) for updates and links to anything additional. So far, I’ve already demoed the instance of TiddlyWiki that I have running on the web server that’s on my phone. Definitely want to keep up a bit of a pace towards some of the items done here over the years that might spark some refresh for the folks here.

And if you could, a bro definitely needs some prayer for items outside of ICCM that have some effect on my time here. The theme of the conference is spritual reboot. Weirdly enough, its attributed to me as the one who suggested it. I’m in need of that and a good bit more.

Got to admit that its kind of neat just letting the tweets speak. Been a lot of nuggets and things to consider along the way. Here’s the slate from yesterday, perhaps there’s something in here for you to consider as well.

• RT @RussB The Silicon Valley Gadget Swap http://dlvr.it/1r1YqR
• RT ‏@churchmag A New Global Ministry Idea http://tentblo.gs/POmKkn
• RT ‏@RobWoodbridge m-Pulse #18: Taking on the app discovery riddle, augmented reality with Tomi Ahonen + our AppCircus app… http://su.pr/5eAVGx #li #mobile
• RT @VisualStoryNet: Mobile and Missions. http://bit.ly/O1uzf2 #mobmin ‏
• RT @CSLewisU If you read history you’ll find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. CSLewis
• [Reading] Mobile SEO is A Myth http://j.mp/RXfShQ //IMO, all SEO is a myth, but this topic has merit as is
• RT ‏@Whatleydude Emergent technologies http://supervillain.tumblr.com/post/268910789 …
• RT ‏@lay2000lbs We’ve been working on a couple visuals for what @_kindrid is all about – check it out and let me know your thoughts! http://blog.kindrid.com
• RT @istartedsomething: SoundGecko, listen to any article on the web, on the go http://www.istartedsomething.com/20120710/check … – neat; know many folks who’d like this
• RT @NewMediaAtUnion @JasonByassee on Practicing Virtue w/Social Media: http://www.newmediaprojectatunion.org/pages/Practici … //easily, required reading for #mobmin #missions
• RT @SocMedSean New Comic: The ‘Always On’ Nature Of Mobile & Social Mediahttp://ow.ly/1OfbKj #mobile #sm
• RT @pewinternet How do you discover and obtain the books that you read?http://pewrsr.ch/MGaGcK
• RT @1Mby1M Thought Leaders in Mobile and Social: Will Overstreet, CEO of Voices Heard Media (Part 5) @1Mby1M – http://ow.ly/c84rA
• RT ‏@vickybeeching Discussion in full swing in the comments section of new CyberSoul post “Digital Authenticity” – http://goo.gl/cDaCo

Not a bad list for the last day. We’ll see what the next few days have to offer. Follow @mobileminmag to get these and other tweets as they happen. Or, tweet something using the #mobmin hashtag and perhaps that would be something highlighted here also.